Z AXIS WINDING FOR FILAMENT WOUND MATERIALS
A rotatable mandrel for use in a filament winding process to form a composite material includes a body having at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface of the body. The mandrel is rotatable and is configured to receive fibers on the at least one peak and the at least one valley.
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to a system, method, and apparatus for manufacturing a composite material. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a system, method, and apparatus for manufacturing a composite material using filament winding.
2. Description of the Related Art
Composite materials may be manufactured by using a filament winding technique. The filament winding technique often involves winding fiber filaments over a cylindrical mandrel at varying speeds, tensions, and angles to achieve different mechanical properties. The fibers are coated in resin such that when the winding process is complete, the material may be cured to bond fibers and form a composite material. After curing, the mandrel is removed from the composite material.
Filament wound composite materials often result in uniform layers, and therefore have uniform shear planes, as shown in
In one embodiment, a mandrel is provided for use in a filament winding process to form a composite material. The mandrel may include a body having at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface of the body, wherein the mandrel is rotatable and is configured to receive fibers on the at least one peak and the at least one valley.
In another embodiment, a system for forming a composite material using a filament winding process includes a resin bath for coating fibers with a resin; a carriage hood for receiving the resin coated fibers and moving the resin coated fibers along a longitudinal axis of a track; and a mandrel having at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface, wherein the mandrel is configured to rotate relative to the longitudinal axis of the track while receiving the resin coated fibers on the external surface as the carriage hood moves the resin coated fibers along the track.
In another embodiment, a method of forming a composite material includes coating fibers in resin; moving the resin coated fibers along a track; rotating a mandrel relative to the track, wherein the mandrel includes at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface; disposing the coated fibers onto the external surface of the rotating mandrel as the fibers are moved along the track; and curing the resin coated fibers to form the composite material.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
Embodiments of the invention provide for systems, methods, and apparatus for producing composite materials with increased longitudinal axis shear strength.
Once the fibers 10 reach the carriage hood 20, multiple fibers 10 may be consolidated into a fiber group and then wound around a mandrel 30. The carriage hood 20 and the mandrel 30 are typically positioned parallel to one another. The carriage hood 20 includes a carriage 22 and a track 25, and the carriage 22 moves (or translates) back and forth along a longitudinal axis of the track. As the carriage 22 translates along the track 25, the mandrel 30 rotates about a winding axis 32, oftentimes the central longitudinal axis of the mandrel 30. Accordingly, as the fibers are fed from the carriage hood 20 to the mandrel 30, the carriage hood 20 positions the fibers 10 around the mandrel 30 at various winding angles 34 relative to the winding axis 32 until a desired thickness is satisfied. The winding angle 34 of the carriage hood may be altered by adjusting the speed that the carriage 22 translates along the track 25. The winding angle 34 changes the mechanical properties of the resultant composite material. Typically, each individual layer has a winding angle 34 of about 15 to about 85 degrees with respect to the winding axis 32 of the mandrel 30. In another embodiment, each individual layer has a winding angle 34 of about 30 to about 70 degrees with respect to the winding axis 32 of the mandrel 30.
After the fibers 10 are wound onto the mandrel 30, the fibers 10 and mandrel 30 are placed in an oven and heated to a pre-designated temperature to cure the material. The post cure process cures the resin 17 and bonds the fibers 10 together to form a composite material 40 (shown in
The mandrel 30 used in the filament winding process may be cylindrical in form. Therefore, as the fibers 10 are wound around the cylindrical mandrel 30, the carriage hood 20 positions the fibers 10 at various angles in uniform layers on the mandrel 30, and in parallel to one another, as shown in
In one embodiment, a composite material 40 having non-uniform shear planes that increase the longitudinal axis shear strength is provided.
In one embodiment of the invention, the mandrel 130 is inflatable.
In one embodiment of the invention, the mandrel 130 may be dissolvable or selectively breakable. For example, the mandrel 130 could be made of ceramic, wherein the ceramic may exhibit good strength characteristics, but may be shattered given the right force applied to such mandrel 130.
As discussed with respect to
As the fibers 10 are fed onto the mandrel 130 from the carriage hood 20, as described above, the fibers 10 conform to the external surface of the mandrel 130 at various angles dictated by the winding angle 34 of the carriage hood. Because the mandrel 130 includes one or more peaks 135 and valleys 140, the fiber placement on the mandrel 130 is non-planar. In other words, the fibers 10 along the Z-axis are non-planar.
After the fibers 10 are fed onto the mandrel 130 to the desired thickness, the mandrel 130 and fibers 10 are placed in an oven and cured as discussed with respect to
Once the mandrel 130 is removed from the composite material 40, the composite material 40 may be formed into a desired shape. For example, the composite material 40 may be machined into a tubular configuration. In one embodiment, the composite material 40 may be formed into a slip used in conjunction with a downhole oil and gas tool. While slips in the oil and gas industry are known to shear along a typically uniform shear plane, a slip made from the composite material 40 described herein exhibits a higher performance due to the non-uniform shear planes of the material 40.
In one embodiment, a mandrel used in a filament winding process to form a composite material includes a body with at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface of the body. The mandrel is rotatable and accepts fibers on the at least one peak and the at least one valley of the body.
In one embodiment, a system used in a filament winding process for forming a composite material includes a resin bath for coating fibers in resin, a carriage hood for accepting resin coated fibers and moving the resin coated fibers along a longitudinal axis of a track, and a mandrel that includes a longitudinal axis positioned parallel to the track longitudinal axis. The mandrel rotates about the mandrel longitudinal axis and accepts the resin coated fibers along an external surface of the mandrel as the carriage hood moves the resin coated fibers along the track longitudinal axis. The mandrel further includes a body with at least one peak and at least one valley on the external surface of the body.
In another embodiment, a system for forming a composite material using a filament winding process includes a resin bath for coating fibers with a resin; a carriage hood for receiving the resin coated fibers and moving the resin coated fibers along a longitudinal axis of a track; and a mandrel having a longitudinal axis positioned adjacent the track, the mandrel rotatable about the mandrel longitudinal axis to receive the resin coated fibers on an external surface of the mandrel as the carriage hood moves the resin coated fibers along the track, wherein the mandrel further includes at least one peak and at least one valley on the external surface of the mandrel.
In one embodiment, a method of forming a composite material includes coating fibers in resin; moving the resin coated fibers along a track; rotating a mandrel relative to the track, wherein the mandrel includes at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface; disposing the coated fibers onto the external surface of the rotating mandrel as the fibers are moved along the track; and curing the resin coated fibers to form the composite material.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
Claims
1. A mandrel for use in a filament winding process to form a composite material, the mandrel comprising:
- a body having at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface of the body, wherein the mandrel is rotatable and is configured to receive fibers on the at least one peak and the at least one valley.
2. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the at least one peak and the at least one valley are positioned along a longitudinal axis of the mandrel.
3. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the at least one peak and the at least one valley are radially positioned around an external circumference of the mandrel.
4. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the at least one peak and the at least one valley are positioned along a longitudinal axis of the mandrel and radially around an external circumference of the mandrel.
5. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the mandrel is inflatable.
6. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the mandrel is ceramic.
7. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the mandrel is dissolvable.
8. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the external surface of the mandrel is helical along a longitudinal axis of the mandrel.
9. A system for forming a composite material using a filament winding process, comprising:
- a resin bath for coating fibers with a resin;
- a carriage hood for receiving the resin coated fibers and moving the resin coated fibers along a longitudinal axis of a track; and
- a mandrel having at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface, wherein the mandrel is configured to rotate relative to the longitudinal axis of the track while receiving the resin coated fibers on the external surface as the carriage hood moves the resin coated fibers along the track.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one tension gear having a tension gear external surface that is reciprocal to the mandrel external surface, the tension gear directing the coated fibers into the at least one valley of the mandrel.
11. The system of claim 9, further comprising an oven for curing the resin coated fibers after placement of the fibers along the external surface of the mandrel.
12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one peak and the at least one valley are positioned along the mandrel longitudinal axis.
13. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one peak and the at least one valley are radially positioned around an external circumference of the mandrel.
14. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one peak and the at least one valley are positioned along the mandrel longitudinal axis of the mandrel and radially around an external circumference of the mandrel.
15. The system of claim 9, wherein the mandrel is inflatable.
16. A method of forming a composite material, comprising:
- coating fibers in resin;
- moving the resin coated fibers along a track;
- rotating a mandrel relative to the track, wherein the mandrel includes at least one peak and at least one valley on an external surface;
- disposing the coated fibers onto the external surface of the rotating mandrel as the fibers are moved along the track; and
- curing the resin coated fibers to form the composite material.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising moving a tension gear towards the mandrel external surface, the tension gear including a tension gear external surface that is reciprocal to the mandrel external surface.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising ceasing rotation of the mandrel once the resin coated fibers reach a pre-determined thickness on the mandrel.
19. The method of claim 16, further comprising moving the mandrel away from the composite material.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one peak and the at least one valley are positioned along the mandrel longitudinal axis.
21. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one peak and the at least one valley are radially positioned around an external circumference of the mandrel.
22. The method of claim 16, further comprising positioning a longitudinal axis of the mandrel parallel to the track.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 13, 2014
Publication Date: Sep 18, 2014
Inventors: Geoffrey POWERS (Houston, TX), Wesley Clint PRITCHETT (Liberty, TX), Matthew Richard STAGE (Houston, TX)
Application Number: 14/209,515
International Classification: B29C 70/16 (20060101);